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| - Movie theaters are a business that I feel you can judge based on its patronage. Busy, bustling movie theater: must be pretty popular for some reason. Empty, stagnant movie theater: must be struggling for some reason.
The first thing I noticed about Harkins Shea is, it was hopping! The parking lot was full almost to capacity. There was no wait to buy tickets at the box office, however, and we purchased ours for The Heart of the Sea, a movie which had only come out a few weeks ago, but somehow had slipped off the planet due to the opening of Star Wars. We were warned that the theater was "85% full" and that we may have problems finding 3 seats together; but, if that was the case, we could come back out for a full refund.
Inside, the theater was busier than you can imagine. My brother sacrificed himself to the concessions line (which, in all fairness, moved pretty quickly), while my mom and I found seats. Employees were everywhere: cleaning bathrooms, sweeping floors, greeting guests, and even checking in on the theaters themselves during the movie. We were able to get three seats together, although they were in the second row of an otherwise very small theater.
Although the sight lines may be rather cramped compared to other, larger theaters, I felt that I had no issues watching or listening to the movie. All patrons were very respectful, no loud rustling, talking, or cell phones to be mentioned. The buttered popcorn from concessions was easily the best I've ever had. Super buttery and rich without seeming greasy. Yum! My family and I really enjoyed the Harkins experience at this location, and I think it made a convert of my brother, who lives nearby. I have a feeling this will be his new go-to location.
Harkins Shea has exceptional staffing, terrific employee-customer interaction, and excels in cleanliness. For everyday movie watching, you won't see better than this.
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